What is on your list of bad bourbon?

I know this is purely opinion, but I find it interesting that I don't see any comments on bourbon that is simply bad - poorly made, off putting flavors, undrinkable at any price - a bottle that will find the sink after an attempt to drink it.

Do any bourbons make this list for you? Is the bourbon industry so mature that bad bottlings don't often make it to market?

Re: What is on your list of bad bourbon?

I'll bite, I'm sure there are folks out there that enjoy the stuff, but at this point I steer completely clear of Woodford. Woodford anything . . . Standard, Double Oaked, Special Releases. No thanks, I've had too many completely disappointing experiences and there stuff isn't cheap.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. My intent was to ask if BAD bourbon makes it to market. Stuff that doesn't taste like bourbon. Swill. Backyard spirits that don't deserve to have "bourbon" on the label. Not dislike, but bad. Mogen David wine bad. Vodka that makes rubbing alcohol a better alternative bad.

I can walk down the Total Wine pallets and see handles of vodka that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, but it's easy to produce cheap vodka that tastes terrible. I wonder if bourbon producers recognize the investment that needs to be made and simply avoid the lowest-end production.

Re: What is on your list of bad bourbon?

I've found very few I dislike. Ezra Brooks tops my list. It is just too oaky for me in a young wood way. It's got a nose and taste that I just can't cme to terms with. I actually ended up pouring it down the sink. Also seems the longer it's open the worse it gets for me.

I've also had bad luck with OGD, although I love the 114.

Initially I didn't like Rittenhouse Rye, but after working my way back to it after really liking a number of other ryes, I'm now a fan.

What is on your list of bad bourbon?

Originally Posted by DBM

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. My intent was to ask if BAD bourbon makes it to market. Stuff that doesn't taste like bourbon. Swill. Backyard spirits that don't deserve to have "bourbon" on the label. Not dislike, but bad. Mogen David wine bad. Vodka that makes rubbing alcohol a better alternative bad.

I can walk down the Total Wine pallets and see handles of vodka that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, but it's easy to produce cheap vodka that tastes terrible. I wonder if bourbon producers recognize the investment that needs to be made and simply avoid the lowest-end production.

Essentially all very inexpensive bourbon comes from just a handful of distilleries who all make only 1, 2, or 3 bourbon distillates each. At the time it is entered into a barrel, the distillate that is destined to become a highly sought after limited edition bottle is identical to the distillate that is dumped at three years old to become a value brand. Anything that is labeled Straight Bourbon must meet particular standards of production and has at least some degree of quality. If you want to know what the bottom end of bourbon is, it's easy. Go buy some three year old 80 proof juice and give it a try. It's not costly.

Re: What is on your list of bad bourbon?

Originally Posted by HighInTheMtns

Essentially all very inexpensive bourbon comes from just a handful of distilleries who all make only 1, 2, or 3 bourbon distillates each. At the time it is entered into a barrel, the distillate that is destined to become a highly sought after limited edition bottle is identical to the distillate that is dumped at three years old to become a value brand. Anything that is labeled Straight Bourbon must meet particular standards of production and has at least some degree of quality. If you want to know what the bottom end of bourbon is, it's easy. Go buy some three year old 80 proof juice and give it a try. It's not costly.

That was one of the possible answers I've contemplated for myself; that (straight) bourbon, by definition, has a degree of quality which lends itself to a respectable product for those who have a palate for bourbon.

I've tried very inexpensive, young bourbon from the big distilleries and didn't find it unbearable. On the other hand, I have had micro-barreled bourbon and found it to be a poor substitute for even the most average straight bourbon.

Re: What is on your list of bad bourbon?

I just can't find much to like from the craft distillers when it comes to bourbon. The Berkskhire Mountain is about the only bourbon tasting one I've tried. IMO, the crafts have a long, long, long, long, long, long, loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way to go with aged bourbon whiskey. And honestly, I'm not sure they're ever going to get there. I do appreciate their trying, though.

Re: What is on your list of bad bourbon?

DBM there are no bad Bourbons just some that are less desirable and that's not a brand, rather it's a category. The second largest selling whisky behind Bourbons are the Canadians which for the most part are inexpensive three year old blends targeted to the price conscious buyer who wants a decent mixer. Accordingly, the major Bourbon Houses all produce comparably priced entry level offerings and to their credit some of them are straights and not blends.

The is no such thing as rotgut from any of the major Bourbon Houses. The whisky coming of the still is exactly the same quality as what is eventually bottled as an inexpensive brand or a fully aged BIB. Every day Beam, HH, BT, 4R, BR, have millions of gallons of Bourbon that turn four years and one day old. Some of these barrels will mature further into greatness but many aren't going to get much better and those are the ones that get blended into the basic brands.

You make your choice and pay your money. I think most consumers will pour some Jack Daniels for the boss when he comes over for dinner and after he leaves reach for a plastic bottle of Kentucky Gentleman (good blend as such things go) and settle back.

Actually value brands get quite a lot of play on posts here but usually in reference to something else. We don't see a lot of posts specifically about the value brands simply because, for the most part, they are uninteresting.